


Running

by Salllzy



Series: The former hero [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 11:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11896782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salllzy/pseuds/Salllzy
Summary: He had been running, running for far too long.





	Running

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer- I do not own Elderscrolls, nor is any money made off this story. 
> 
> First part of a series, not all of them will be songfics like this one.

* * *

_Steel to my tremblin' lips_  
_How did the night ever get like this?_  
_One shot and the whiskey goes down, down, down_  
_Bottom of the bottle hits_  
_Waking up my mind as I throw a fit_  
_The breakin’ is takin’ me down, down, down._

The sound of his heart beating in his chest, his blood roaring in his ears. The Thalmor hunted him and he out ran them and he would continue to do so, he had once been known as the Hero of Kvatch. He had lost his lover Martin a long time ago and no matter how much he wished that he could join him, his work was not done. Mara had told him so, she had told him that the one meant for him was out there, waiting for him. But even if he had wanted to find them he couldn’t, not with the Thalmor chasing after him.

_My heart’s beating faster  
I know what I’m after _

The Thalmor wanted him dead because of what he stood for, people claimed that they knew him. That they had slept with him, he snorted at the last one. He hadn’t slept with anyone since Martin and he had no plans on changing that, but he was also very lucky in escaping his fate. He had no desire to become a Deadra, he had spared the Deadra of madness anyone else would have killed him, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. Martin had gave up his own life and had became one with Akatosh, for a long time he hated the divine for taking Martin away. Without Martin he had lost the will to live, he couldn’t go on without Martin and more than once he tried to take his own life only to be stopped. Mara the first time, Talos the second time and he had been so close that time as well, Stendarr was the third one to stop him, but the most shocking one of all was Sheogorath.

The prince of madness had assumed that he had owed the other a debt, he didn’t. Part of him had wanted to stay mortal, another part had wanted the Deadra to kill him. Sheogorath had brought him back from the brink, madness was his domain and the former hero was slowly going insane and despite how they had started off, Sheogorath didn’t want that. Not because he had spared his life, but because he was a friend.

As a Deadaric prince he had never had a friend before, Sheogorath remembered when the former hero stayed on the shivering isles and tended his wounds. Using magic that was thought to be lost, the former hero may have thought that it would be the end of it. But Sheogorath was not going to let it lie, they had became close as was to be expected. The Deadaric prince of madness would never allow anything to happen to his friend, he would rather the whole of Nirn go insane than allow anything to happen to him.

_I’ve been standing here my whole life_  
_Everything I’ve seen twice_  
_Now it's time I realized_  
_It's spinning back around now_  
_On this road I'm crawlin'_  
_Save me 'cause I'm fallin'_  
_Now I can't seem to breathe right_  
_'Cause I keep runnin' runnin' runnin' runnin'_  
_Runnin' runnin' runnin' runnin'_  
_Runnin' from my heart_

Amber eyes closed for a minute, he just needed to rest all he had done for so long was run. He had no idea where he was or how far he had run all he knew that he had to keep running. That was when things changed, he was caught, they had wrongly assumed that he was a rebel. A 'Stormcloak' he had no idea what one was but he knew that he had been branded as a rebel, it was not the worst thing that he had been branded and he doubted it would be the last time that he would be branded a rebel.

_'Round and around I'd go, addicted to the numb_  
_Living in the cold_  
_The higher, the lower the down, down, down_  
_Sick of being tired and sick of waiting_  
_For another kind of fix_  
_The damage is damning me down, down, down_

A snort escaped him, a headman's block. The first time it had been a cell, it was what had started it all the first time. A cell and now a headman's block, he wondered what would be next.

“Next the wood elf.”

They hadn’t even been bothered to ask his name, even if they had he wasn’t going to give them it. His name had once caused people to stop and stare, to whisper in joy. He had been loved and praised for what he had done, no his name was his and his alone. His name had belonged to a man who had died when his lover had, he was not the hero of Kvatch any longer and if he had his way then that was how it was going to stay. But he had a feeling that deep down people would know his name again, that the Divines wouldn't let people live in ignornace for much longer.

_My heart's beating faster, I know what I'm after._  
_I've been standing here my whole life,_  
_Everything I've seen twice, now it's time I realize_  
_It's spinning back around now, on this road I'm crawling_  
_Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right_  
_Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin' from my heart_.

He didn’t know whether to praise the divines or curse them, of all things a dragon? He knew the stories, he knew who it was but he wasn’t going to get involved, it wasn’t his job to do it. He had already saved the world once, it was someone else turn.

“Jarl Ulfric could the legends be true?”

A snort escaped him before he had chance to stop it, all eyes looked at him.

“A legend has to come from somewhere, they do not just appear one day. No all legends had a grain of truth in them.”

The one called Ulfric nodded his head and when he spoke it was almost as if there was thunder in his voice. He felt a thrill run down his spine at the sound of the voice, he didn’t know if it was because of his voice or the way it sounded either way it didn’t matter to him.

“A legend does not burn down villages, the little elf is right.”

_Woah ohhhhh,_  
_I'm coming alive._  
_Woah ohhhhh,_  
_Wake up now and live oh!_

He had forgotten what it felt like, the thrill of a bow is his hand. The call of battle as blood-lust ran through his veins, the same call that he had heard when Martin had been attacked. The same call that was urging him to kill, to kill them all. But he wouldn’t lose himself to the call, he hadn’t then and he wouldn’t now.

_Woah ohhhhh,_  
_I'm coming alive._  
_A life that's always been a dream,_  
_Wake up now and live oh!_

He looked at his two travelling companions, a Nordic woman who looked as if she had scarped something unpleasant off her boot. He didn’t hold her any ill will, many people looked at any elf like that. The great war had left a bitter taste in a lot of people's mouths. His male companion was different, he didn’t seem to care that he was an elf. Or he was just hiding it better, either was a possibility.

_I've been standing here my whole life,_  
_My heart's beating faster, I know what I'm after._  
  
_I've been standing here my whole life,_  
_Everything I've seen twice, now it's time I realize_  
_It's spinning back around now, on this road I'm crawling_  
_Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right_  
_Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin' from my heart._

 They had split, he had travelled to Bleak Falls Barrow. The owner of the Riverwood trader had been arguing with his sister over retrieving something that had been stolen from them, he had volunteered to do it instead. A tired sigh fell from his lips, it didn’t matter where he went he couldn’t stop helping people. Entering the tomb had been easy, sneaking past the bandits was child's play to him. But then again he was the grey fox.

 The draugr had posed no challenge, the only thing that been anything remotely to a challenge was the draugr deathlord. Being blasted into a solid stone wall by a Thu'um was not fun and he was not looking forward to a repeat of it, he took all of the items from the chest including a large stone tablet.

  _Woah ohhhhh,_  
_I'm coming alive._  
_Woah ohhhhh,_  
_Wake up now and live oh!_

Returning the golden claw had been easy and he had even got some money out of it, he had protested saying that he didn’t need it or want it. But it had still be shoved into his hands with a heartfelt thanks, the next thing on his list was going to Whiterun. He needed to get aid for the people, they needed protection.

_Woah ohhhhh,_  
_I'm coming alive._  
_A life that's always been a dream,_  
_Wake up now and live oh!_

The road was quiet and the only thing that he had came across was a few wolves, he even ended up befriending one of them. A female that refused to leave his side, he wasn’t sure if it was Kynareth interfering or if it was due to his Bosmer blood. But he wasn’t going to complain, it was nice having some company for a change. Even if said company couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time.

_I've been standing here my whole life,  
My heart's beating faster, I know what I'm after._

Being called shield-brother brought back memories, helping to take down a giant had not been in his plan but he found that once again he couldn't do anything but help them. That and it was almost painful to watch as a young woman got grabbed from the ground and thrown through the air like a child's doll, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was dead long before she had hit the ground.  
  
_I've been standing here my whole life,_  
_Everything I've seen twice, now it's time I realize_  
_It's spinning back around now, on this road I'm crawling_  
_Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right_  
_Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin' from my heart._

It didn’t matter where he went, Jarls, Kings, Queens it was all the same only caring about image and what they could get out of something. He had briefly met the female Nord again only to get a mucky look off her, for what reason he had no idea. He watched as she marched up to the Jarl and began giving her report, his vision swam for a moment. He was used to sudden dizzy spells in his younger days and as he got older they got less frequent but they had found out that they were related to stress, right now all he wanted to do was give the stone tablet to someone who would understand it and then find an inn. He gave the stone tablet to the court wizard and left, he never noticed the narrowed blue eyes of the Jarl staring at him, nor did he see the disgusted look that was thrown his way.  
  
_Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'_  
_Runnin' from my heart._

His eyes slowly closed, he was so tired but he knew deep down that he would stay and help. That he had to help, everywhere he was looking there was people in need. He couldn't walk away, just like he hadn’t walked away from Martin all them years ago. It wasn’t in his nature to do so, he had to help. He knew what he was going to do.

He was going to stop running, Skyrim needed someone who would put her and her people first and he was going to do it.

 


End file.
